Speech disorders in Israeli Arab children

Isr J Med Sci. 1997 Oct;33(10):663-5.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the frequency of speech disorders in Israeli Arab children and its association with parental consanguinity. A questionnaire was sent to the parents of 1,495 Arab children attending kindergarten and the first two grades of the seven primary schools in the town of Taibe. Eight-six percent (1,282 parents) responded. The answers to the questionnaire revealed that 25% of the children reportedly had a speech and language disorder. Of the children identified by their parents as having a speech disorder, 44 were selected randomly for examination by a speech specialist. The disorders noted in this subgroup included errors in articulation (48.0%), poor language (18%), poor voice quality (15.9%); stuttering (13.6%), and other problems (4.5%). Rates of affected children of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages were 31% and 22.4%, respectively (p < 0.01). We conclude that speech disorders are an important problem among Israeli Arab schoolchildren. More comprehensive programs are needed to facilitate diagnosis and treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Arabs / genetics*
  • Child
  • Consanguinity*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Israel
  • Language Disorders / diagnosis
  • Language Disorders / genetics*
  • Male
  • Speech Disorders / diagnosis
  • Speech Disorders / genetics*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Urban Health